In typical business environments many different types of data can be communicated between a number of different communication devices over various communication networks and/or networked computer systems. The many different types of data can be communicated between the number of different communication devices using a plurality of communication protocols.
Conventional methods for communicating information over Internet-based communication networks can require several Internet Protocols (“IP”), which can be used for transporting media and/or control signal information over the communication network. Typically, a mixture of call control signaling protocols, such as H.323, MGCP, or SIP, are used for communicating control signal information between various components of an IP network communication system. However, compatibility-related issues existing between various control signal protocols, which are used to communicate the control-related information, can often inhibit system performance or even cause system failures due to the complexity and overhead associated with protocol inter-working. Similarly, compatibility-related issues existing between various call service processing protocols, which are used to communicate information for multi-media services, as described above, can also often inhibit system performance, cause system failures and complicate the administration and maintenance of communication networks.
In an effort to standardize protocols for information that is communicated over Internet-based communication networks, as well as over other wide area networks (“WANs”), the Internet Engineering Task Force (“IETF”) has been formed. The IETF is a standards group associated with Internet-based protocols and architectures that has defined a Session Initiation Protocol (“SIP”) in RFC 2543, which is a protocol for creating, modifying, and terminating multimedia sessions with one or more participants. The SIP, which is incorporated herein by reference, is a relatively simple and efficient protocol that provides a method of transporting both standard and non-standard information in a common framework.
Even though SIP is becoming an increasingly popular protocol for transporting both standard and non-standard information in a common framework over WANs, local area networks (“LANs”) hosted by multi-media communication service providers continue to employ proprietary protocols unique to each multi-media communication service provider or non-proprietary protocols (e.g., standard SS7) that are not directly compatible with SIP. Consequently, each multi-media communication service provider operating on a LAN is required to interface with SIP in order to communicate control signals and/or session information over the WAN. As a result, system performance is degraded because relatively complex processing is required to convert information back and forth for communication over either the WAN or the LAN.
Therefore, an unsolved need remains for a system and method for providing a protocol executable over a LAN or WAN that is directly compatible with the SIP in RFC 2543 protocol, which optimizes system performance and overcomes the above-described limitations and deficiencies of the prior art.